Palace (5)

Once back in the imperial clinic, Zhu Na Ran changed back into some proper attire. Although her clothes were still a bit damp, they should dry by the time she would leave.

'Whew! It would be nice if I could've taken a hot bath, but I suppose I must work with what I have.'

"So, A-Tong," coming over to the little girl seated on a bench, she asked. "How is your ankle? Do you feel any discomfort?"

"Em, no," A-Tong shook her head as she held a hand warmer in her hands. "It doesn't hurt that much."

"Hmm, good." Unfortunately, Zhu Na Ran isn't someone with a knack for medicine; therefore, she couldn't give the girl any painkillers for fear she might accidentally poison her. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thus, all they could do was wait for the imperial doctor to return, much to their chagrin.

'Aiyah, where could this doc be?

You'd think that he would be in his clinic for the entirety of the night. After all, who knows if someone could get hurt in the massive party and when they need the doctor the most — poof, he's gone.' (;¬_¬)

"Em, big sister," the girl suddenly piped up. "How is your hand?"

"Eh?"

'Oh, right. The scratch from that naughty fox! (๑•̀д•́๑)

Tsk! That fox is lucky that he managed to get away before this auntie could skin it for all of her troubles.' (#｀ε')

"Eh, I'll be fine. I've been through worse before and still came out alive and kicking. This minor cut is nothing to be too worried about." Due to her cultivation, she healed faster than mortals. So her scratch had already stopped bleeding and started to scab over.

'Anyways, what I should be worried about isn't this small wound, but rather, what would happen to me when Senior Sister returns.'

She could already feel the chill of her senior sister's glare just by thinking about it. (ד ྊ ד )

'Ah, think happy thoughts, Naran.'

"Hmm, your family must be looking for you. It would probably be best if we find them as soon as possible."

"Wah," A-Tong grabbed onto her clothes. "Are you going to leave A-Tong?"

"Relax," patting the girl's head in reassurance, she smiled. "I won't be leaving anytime soon. I'll be sure to stay until your family comes and picks you up."

'I'm sure Senior Sister wouldn't mind if we sat here for a while. Heck, she might even know this little girl's parents.'

"Anyways, tell this big sister, how old are you?"

Unbeknownst to Zhu Na Ran, the bookshelf behind her began to tip over.

"S-sister, behind you!"

"Behind-"

"Watch out!"

Twisting around, Zhu Na Ran prepared to catch the falling furniture; however, before she could, the shelf was suddenly stopped by a lady in red.

"Eh? It's you again!" Σ(･o･;)

---

"What a coincidence that we would meet twice on the same day!" (＠^v^＠)

Sitting at the small clinic's table, Fei Fu Qu smiled as she poured a cup of tea before pushing over a plate of snacks. "Indeed, it's as if it's fate."

"Hehe, thank you," grabbing one of the snacks, Zhu Na Ran savored it's sweet and salty taste. 'I haven't eaten since this morning. Ugh, this is so good! ( ✧A✧)

What a coincidence that big sister would have these on hand. These are my favorite cakes!'

"Have some more if you like it," a natural smile came onto Fei Fu Qu's face. It was just like the old times.

"Em, I will," she smiled as she grabbed one. "Hey, are you a doctor or something?"

'This big sister is rather good at bandaging wounds.'

Earlier, she was content just letting her wound heal naturally without any medication; however, when Fei Fu Qu arrived, she insisted that she bandaged her wound for fear of infection.

"No, I just dabble in the basics," Fei Fu Qu knew a few things about taking care of wounds and wrapping up injuries.

After all, she had done it plenty of times in the past.

"Hmm, I wouldn't have guessed," she smiled as she polished off the snack before grabbing another. "But A-Tong must be super brave. She didn't even complain once about the pain!"

"Uh, haha, it's just that Sister Qu is skilled at the art of medicine. Thanks to her, it doesn't hurt at all."

"Eh, that's good!" (' ▽ ` )

The three enjoyed the happy atmosphere before there was a sudden panicked call, interrupting the joyous mood.

"Junior Sister!"

In the distance, Zhu Na Ran could hear someone calling for her.

'Eh? Who is it?' ('･ω･`)?

Quietly listening some more, the call became more distinct.

"Zhu Na Ran, where are you!?!"

"It's Senior Sister!" Forgetting about her past deed of the day, Zhu Na Ran instantly rushed out the door, excited to see her senior sister again. "She's back!" ~\(≧▽≦)/~

As Zhu Na Ran rushed out, the pleasant smile on Fei Fu Qu's face instantly dropped. 'Hmph. She's fast,' she sneered as she took a sip of cold tea.

"Senior Sister," running into Ye Lian Hua, Zhu Na Ran embraced her waist with a gleeful smile. "How was the banquet! Wait, let me go back and get ready to leave!"

Ignoring Zhu Na Ran's happy demeanor, Ye Lian Hua leaned back to take a look at her, scanning from head to toe. Initially, she was furious at Zhu Na Ran for disobeying her; however, after finding that patch of blood in the snow, she could only assume the worst had happened to her junior sister. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Nope!"

"What happened to your hand?" Grabbing hold of Zhu Na Ran's hand, she held it gently as her lips pulled back into a thin line, her eyes narrowing at its careful bandaging.

"I was scratched by a little fox. It doesn't hurt," she grinned in a vain attempt to soothe Ye Lian Hua's worry. "It was that big sister who helped bandage it for me."

"Big sister? Who?"

"That's her," pointing at Fei Fu Qu, who stood at the door, she waved at her.

Walking up the pair, Fei Fu Qu painted on a kind smile. "You must be the senior sister she spoke about, Martial Aunt Jing Hua. I believe this must be our first time meeting."

Ye Lian Hua stepped in front of Zhu Na Ran, hiding her behind her back. She didn't like the aura that she was getting from Fei Fu Qu.

It was too similar to the energy she felt trying to probe Yu Lan Peak a few months prior.

"You must be the second miss of the Fei Family, Fei Fu Qu, aren't you," keeping her guard up, Ye Lian Hua stiffly greeted while Fei Fu Qu kept a relaxed expression.

"Em, that's correct."

"I heard that the Fei Family doesn't involve themselves with mortal affairs and is rather reclusive. So why are you out in the open today?"

'Eh? Second Miss of the Fei Family? Reclusive? Who are they? '「(°ヘ°)

Zhu Na Ran looked at her senior sister for answers to her questions, but Ye Lian Hua's sole focus was on the carefree figure before them.

"Oh," she smiled as she brought her hand up to her lips in thought. "But not going out today would mean that I would've missed this cute little fox, right?"

'Eh?' Zhu Na Ran nearly sputtered in disbelief. 'Big sister, how is this auntie a little fox?' (๑•̀ㅁ•́๑)✧

However, this little taunt from Fei Fu Qu only seemed to irritate Ye Lian Hua, as she quickly grabbed hold of Zhu Na Ran.

"Is that so? Well then, my junior and I won't cause any more trouble for Second Young Miss Fei. Thank you for your help."

But before they could leave, A-Tong came rushing up to Zhu Na Ran. tugging on her clothes. "Big sister, wait a minute!"

"Eh? A-Tong, what is it?"

"Can A-Tong play with you soon?"

"Of course," crouching down slightly, she tapped the young girl's nose. "Let's just wait until our injuries have healed first, okay?"

Suddenly, Ye Lian Hua grabbed Zhu Na Ran's uninjured wrist and began to drag her away. "We're leaving!"

"Eh? Wait, Senior Sister!" Σ(゜゜)

Ignoring Zhu Na Ran, Ye Lian Hua continued to speed away from the clinic. As if staying there any longer would only bring more trouble.

"Senior Sister, wait, slow down!"

However, her senior sister didn't slow down, but instead, she seemed to have picked up her pace.

"Senior Sister, are you angry?" (・へ・)

"..."

"Hey, say something, Senior Sister! You're hurting my hand!" (　;∀;)

Suddenly, she stopped, causing Zhu Na Ran to bump into her back. "Ouch! What's with you, Senior Sister?"

Ye Lian Hua stayed quiet for a few seconds, taking in a few deep breaths.

"Senior Sister?"

"Don't get involved with the Second Miss of the Fei Family, from now on."